April 19, 2012

All I want for Christmas is...

Why?

There is really not a reason that I can grip on. Pay what you owe.

This Daily News story is not a story about prostitution. Okay, this is a story about prostitution, but not the reasons that you think. I am pro-choice. If a woman (or a man) wants to sell a commodity (their body) to a buyer (john, or trick) at an agreed upon price, that is just capitalism. I know that people will use the child sex slave scandals as a reason to disagree with prostitution, but incorrect usage is not a reason to deny…in theory consenting males and females should be able to enter into an agreement.

Sex is one of the biggest weapons anyone can utilize. How many of you have done something to get into the sheets? How many of us have done something like faked interest in something as an entry to starting a relationship? Yes, some relationships, that are strong, are built on an initial lie. Even for the people of ChristianMingle.com, who just happen to bombard the ESPN airwaves with their commercials.

Really, pay what you owe…

CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA – The Daily News published the first photos of the Colombian call girl whose encounter with a cheapskate Secret Service agent set off the agency’s worst sex scandal.

Dania Suarez, the 24-year-old single mom of a 9-year-old son, has gone into hiding as the scandal mushrooms, according to neighbors.

A friend stopped by late Wednesday to pick up her dog, a pug named Valentino, they said.

Suarez, originally from the island of San Andres, is a quiet tenant who rents a small apartment in a hacienda-style home for about $600 a month, neighbors said.

They often saw her go out late and come home at dawn, dangling her high heels in her hand.

ASSETS...Good enough to spank...

“She never told us what she did for a living but it was obvious,” said Maria Quintero, 31, who lives on the first floor of the three story white building.

“She was home all day and left late at night looking very nice,” Quintero said.

So, they knew what she did, but it was not a problem for them. All seemingly agreed that she was a good mother, which must be hard, if you are having a kid at fifteen.

“I asked her if she worked, she said no. I asked her if her boyfriend helped her, she said no. Then it hit me.”

Another neighbor, Maria Estela Cubides, 45, said Suarez seemed to have a glamorous life out on the town, but kept to herself at home.

“She always left late at night. She traveled a lot, to fancy destinations,” Cubides said. “She never brought guys home. She kept to herself. I’m surprised she did all that noise to get her money. She’s not that kind of person.”

Another neighbor, Dona Betty, said Suarez told people she was a dancer.

“She showed up early in the morning, with her heels on her hands,” she said. “We suspected, but she keeps to herself. She is a good mother.”

Here is where the problem lies. Prostitution is legal in Columbia, it is a business transaction. PAY WHAT YOU OWE!

Prostitution is legal in Colombia, and escorts, hookers and streetwalkers crowd the streets of the tourist districts.

Suarez has said she was a “high class” escort who made $800 – 1.4 million pesos – a night to dress well and provide sparkling company as well as have sex.

The average Colombian household earns $287 a month.

Eleven Secret Service agents and nine military servicemen are under investigation for hiring 20 or 21 hookers in Cartagena last week when they were supposed to be preparing for President Obama’s April 13 arrival at a regional summit.

Suarez was one of the girls brought back to the posh Hotel Caribe to party with the G-men on the night of April 11.
According to the story Suarez has told friends and the press, the still-unnamed agent kicked her out of his room the next morning with only $28 in cab fare.

She caused a ruckus in the hallway, demanding her full payment, while the agent remained locked in the locked hotel room and wouldn’t come out.

Dude, just pay her. Just pay her and we never hear about this, you get to keep your job and you don’t hurt the president. She did her part, met her terms in the contract. Being too drunk is not an excuse. This is also the reason to get the money first, because of fools like this.

Soon Cartagena cops got involved and while the payment dispute was ultimately settled by a whip-round among some of the other Secret Service agents, word reached the US Embassy.The men were ordered home, put on leave and stripped of their security clearances.

Three Secret Service agents, including two supervisors, were ousted Wednesday.

CBS News named two of the three Thursday: Greg Stokes, a supervisor who handled the bomb sniffing dogs, was fired. He is fighting to keep his job, exercising his option to appeal the firing.

More were on the verge of being canned.“Several more people will be pushed out either today or tomorrow,” Rep. Peter King (D-NY) said Thursday.

Two secret service agents have been given polygraphs and more are expected, two sources said.

ABC News reported that the men had booked a party space at the hotel expecting a bash for about 30 people.

“That allegation is coming from the media, but it is being checked out,” King said.

White House officials have said the president’s security was not compromised but investigators are looking into whether the agents left sensitive papers in their rooms where the hookers could have had access to them.

In addition, people on scene said the unnamed agent was still roaring drunk the next morning, when he got into the dispute with Suarez, and that could have affected his job performance.

October 22, 2010

Drunk dialing is a pop-culture term denoting an instance in which an intoxicated individual places phone calls that he or she would not likely place if sober. The term often refers to a lonely individual calling former or current love interests.

I have this disease late at night sometimes, involving alcohol and the telephone. I get drunk, and I drive my wife away with breath like mustard gas and roses. And then, speaking gravely and elegantly into the telephone, I ask the telephone operators to connect me with this friend or that one, from whom I have not heard in years.

“Drunk texting” is a related phenomenon, and potentially yet more embarrassing for the sender as, once the message is sent, it cannot be retrieved; the message will most likely be misspelled (due to being drunk), and it might be reviewed and shared among many.

Normally, when you think of drunk dialing, it’s usually made by someone looking to get some late night friction going with a partner. If you went to college, chances are you either made one, or received one from someone. Once you leave college, or even you didn’t go to college, there is a time where you get serious and put away the immediate gratification of youth. Someone forgot to tell Virginia Thomas that it’s not ladylike to get perked at 7:30 in the morning. (Unless she was drunk all night…which could happen…)

“Good morning Anita Hill, it’s Ginni Thomas,” started the message. “I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband.”

Virginia (Ginni) Thomas was referring to Hill’s 1991 Senate confirmation hearing testimony in which she claimed that her former boss, Clarence Thomas, made inappropriate sexual comments to her at work.

“So give it some thought,” Thomas continued. “And certainly pray about this and hope that one day you will help us understand why you did what you did. Okay, have a good day.”

Google released a useful new Gmail feature yesterday in its labs, which could help prevent the intoxicated from sending embarrassing late-night emails they might regret in the morning. When activated, the program will force a user to solve a series of math problems before allowing any message to be sent.They are not terribly difficult, but do serve as an extra line of defense in what can be a very dangerous habit. The service is set by default to kick in only on weekend nights, but you can change the settings to apply whenever.

Now, is Ginni so blind to the fact that this is a woman who strongly believes that she was harassed? What does she have to apologize for? Being attractive to her now husbands wandering eye? We were not there on that day, nearly twenty years ago. But, it is hard to believe that Anita just made this up. Furthering her cause, a former girlfriend of Clarence has ended her silence. Heather Horn at the Atlantic Wire explains

The Washington Post reports today that Lillian McEwan, with whom Thomas was in a relationship at the time, is now, finally, supporting Hill’s story. Apparently she didn’t see fit to say anything during the hearings, but now admits Thomas often told her about women at work, and on at least one occasion asked one of these women her bra size. Thus, as the Post’s Michael Fletcher puts it, “Hill’s allegations that Thomas had pressed her for dates and made lurid sexual references rang familiar.”

This is just like the Coke Zero commercial

The Washington Post gets involved in unraveling the mystery

Lillian McEwen dated Clarence Thomas in the ’80s — and she tells our colleague Michael Fletcher the stories Hill told about him rang true: He checked out female colleagues, once asked a woman her bra size, was “obsessed” with porn and eager to talk about it. The retired administrative law judge was okay with that and shows no rancor towards him, but — full disclosure — she’s a Democrat who doesn’t like his rulings or his sense of victimhood in the Hill matter. And yes, ahem — she’s shopping a memoir that details their “freewheeling sex life.”

At least she discloses her potential bias. Timing is interesting, but it’s not like she told Ginni to make this phone call. You would think that people in the spotlight would understand the need for discretion in their lines of work. Why not have a flunky make the call if you really needed the apology? Did you think that hearing your voice was going to make her agree with you?

Google…we should already have time machines, but until then, what about drunk dial for ANDROID?

October 22, 2010

I guess that you should not preach Juan...

Funny story but when I was in MN, I hung out with a dude named DD, my dude from way back. We were hosting a small soiree at our pad and we hang out with Juan Williams’ son. Needless to say, that dude liked to party, which made him aces in my book.

At our party, there were always all types at the party. We didn’t discriminate based on politics, only on your party quotient. If you brought something to the party, then we wanted you around. At our spots, politics were not really discussed, so your political identity normally got checked at the door, with the coats.

Looking at the Juan Williams situation, the terrorists have clearly won. The inability to express your beliefs is the hallmark of a totalitarian regime. If we can’t discuss our feelings, then covert racism will rule the day.

By Matea Gold

Tribune Washington Bureau

12:35 PM PDT, October 21, 2010

Reporting from Washington

As NPR weathered a storm of criticism Thursday for its decision to fire news analyst Juan Williams for his comments about Muslims, Fox News moved aggressively to turn the controversy to its advantage by signing Williams to an expanded role at the cable news network.

Fox News Chief Executive Roger Ailes handed Williams a new three-year contract Thursday morning, in a deal that amounts to nearly $2 million, a considerable bump up from his previous salary, the Tribune Washington Bureau has learned. The Fox News contributor will now appear exclusively and more frequently on the cable news network and have a regular column on FoxNews.com.

“Juan has been a staunch defender of liberal viewpoints since his tenure began at Fox News in 1997,” Ailes said in a statement, adding a jab at NPR: “He’s an honest man whose freedom of speech is protected by Fox News on a daily basis.”

The worst part about this is that it allows FOX to come off as the reasonable party here. For once, I have to agree with FOX here. While they are not really fair and balanced reporting in any sense of the phrase, the ability to paint a picture of intolerance to set up another, major point is necessary in discussion. His beliefs are ones that others share and he was talking about how to combat and recognize that subconscious discrimination.

Meanwhile, conservative leaders lambasted NPR for firing Williams and called for cutting public funding for the media organization. By midafternoon Thursday, more than 4,900 comments had been posted on NPR.org, including many from people who said the media organization was bowing to political correctness and unfairly punishing Williams for expressing his personal opinions.

“In one arrogant move the NPR exposed itself for the leftist thought police they really are,” read one typical post. “After this November elections I hope one of the first things the new Congress does is to defund this poor excuse for public radio.”

NPR serves a public good, a necessary purpose. I want them to re-examine their hiring practices, I want them to bow less to political correctness, but I want them on the radio. Just like NPR overreacted to this situation, the public needs to take a step back, take a deep breath and then keep it moving.

The controversy kicked off Monday night when Williams, a Fox News contributor, made an appearance on “The O’Reilly Factor.” In a conversation with host Bill O’Reilly about how fear of terrorism affects perceptions of Muslims, Williams noted that he harbored some anxieties, even as an author of books about the civil rights movement.

“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot….But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they’re identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous,” Williams said.

He also noted that it was not fair to cast all Muslims as extremists.

On Wednesday, NPR told Williams it was terminating his contract, saying his remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”

The abrupt break came after years in which Williams’ role at Fox News caused internal tension at the public radio organization. Many NPR listeners registered complaints about comments he made on the cable news channel, particularly remarks last year in which he described First Lady Michelle Obama as having “this Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going” and saying she could become “an albatross.”

In response, NPR executives asked Williams to request Fox News not identify him as an NPR analyst when he appeared on “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Dana Davis Rehm, NPR’s senior vice president for communications, said in an interview that Williams’ comments violated internal ethics policies that prohibit NPR journalists from going on other media and expressing “views they would not air in their role as an NPR journalist.” The guidelines also prohibit NPR journalists from participating in programs “that encourage punditry and speculation rather than fact-based analysis.”

Isn’t it a fact that Juan felt that way? He is analyzing his personal beliefs and how that colors some of the things that he thinks about, and he even claims that approach is wrong. NPR is really asking him to lie about what he thinks. If it really is National Public Radio, then the some in the Public think the same things. Exposure can only help, since it leads to discussion that might help people to recognize the other side and have more tolerance.

Rehm said Williams had been warned several times in the past about making personal comments that violated the policy.

“This wasn’t the first time where we felt Juan crossed the line in terms of what’s permitted for NPR analysts and journalists as a whole,” she said. “We felt we really didn’t have an alternative. And it was not without regret, and it was not a decision that was made lightly by any means. We do appreciate the work he has done.”

Williams told Fox News on Thursday that he was let go over the phone and taken aback that he wasn’t given a chance to defend himself.

“It’s not a bigoted statement,” he told Fox News in an interview the cable news network ran throughout the day. “In fact, in the course of this conversation with Bill O’Reilly, I said we have an obligation as Americans to be careful to protect the constitutional rights of everyone in our country and to make sure that we don’t have any outbreak of bigotry. But that there’s a reality. You cannot ignore what happened on 9/11, and you cannot ignore the connection to Islamic radicalism, and you can’t ignore the fact of what has even recently been said in court with regard to this is the first drop of blood in a Muslim war in America.”

Fox News made the most of the incident, rerunning a package about the controversy throughout the day. Williams was scheduled to appear on “The O’Reilly Factor” Thursday night to further address the issue and will guest host the program Friday.

In the meantime, NPR was slammed by conservative leaders such as Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, who tweeted, “NPR defends 1st Amendment Right, but will fire u if u exercise it. Juan Williams: u got taste of Left’s hypocrisy, they screwed up firing you.”

NPR, if you really are defenders of the left, why would you give them this ammunition?

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who hosts a show on Fox News, said he now plans to boycott NPR and decline its interview requests.

“NPR has discredited itself as a forum for free speech and a protection of the First Amendment rights of all and has solidified itself as the purveyor of politically correct pabulum and protector of views that lean left,” Huckabee wrote on his blog, adding: “It is time for the taxpayers to start making cuts to federal spending, and I encourage the new Congress to start with NPR.”

NPR receives no direct federal funding for its operations, but between 1% and 3% of its $160-million budget comes from competitive grants awarded by publicly funded entities such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts. Since 2009, NPR has received $8 million in competitive grants from the CPB for technology development and journalism initiatives. It also received a one-time grant of $78 million between 2007 and 2009 to upgrade satellite technology.

Local NPR stations receive $90 million in annual appropriations from the CPB that amount to about 10% of their revenue, on average.

Rehm said it was inappropriate for politicians to interject the issue of federal funding into an editorial decision, adding that she hoped the controversy would not affect financial support for public radio. “Stations are in fund-raising season, so it is unfortunate that this occurred at this time,” she said.

June 8, 2010

You have no guarantee of winning the job, so your money is in jepardy.

Whitman wins GOP nomination for Calif. governorLOS ANGELES (AP) – Meg Whitman, the billionaire former chief executive of eBay, easily won the race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, setting up a general election contest against former Gov. Jerry Brown.

Whitman took a large lead in the polls in the final weeks of the campaign after a negative ad war over which Republican was the most conservative.

The contest was the most expensive primary in California history, with Whitman spending more than $81 million and state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner spending $25 million.

Whitman, who has never before run for elective office, is the first woman to win the Republican nomination for governor in California.

Brown, governor from 1975-83, was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Jerry Brown just got to sit back and watch the fireworks. Plus, he can steal from the loser and recycle some of the messages that seemed to work.

June 1, 2010

Who would have thunk it? I thought the political fights would keep them together…

Al and Tipper Gore to separate after 40 yearsNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, are separating after 40 years of marriage.

According to an e-mail circulated among the couple’s friends and obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, the Gores said it was “a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration.”

Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider confirmed the statement came from the Gores, but declined to comment further.

Al Gore lost the 2000 presidential election to Republican George W. Bush. He has since campaigned worldwide to draw attention to climate change, which in 2007 led to a Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar for the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Tipper Gore is known for her advocacy on mental health issues.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

They went through a lot and losing the election didn’t help. Maybe Al needed less time with the earth’s problems and more with his personal issues might have solved the problem. But, maybe they just drifted apart after 40 years. Either way, they will both be fine…

May 26, 2010

Just because the people bootleg, that doesn’t mean that you can steal right out in the open…

I was in a store recently and I saw someone totally steal something. Now, I am down with the Stop Snitching campaign and I didn’t report this petty theft that I saw. When I saw it happening, the first thing that ran through my mind was the guy who got killed for staling toothpaste. I ran the numbers and thought that this was small enough that the harm to society was not outweighed by my pledge not to snitch and my desire not to get involved. This person got away scot-free. The same may not be true for Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

Talking Heads singer sues Fla. governor for $1M

May 25, 2010, 3:29 PM EST

MIAMI (AP) — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is being sued for $1 million for using a Talking Heads song in a campaign ad without the band’s permission.

The band’s ex-lead singer David Byrne sued the governor Monday in Tampa for using “Road to Nowhere” in an online attack ad against Marco Rubio. He’s the likely Republican nominee in the race for Florida’s open U.S. Senate seat. Crist is running as an independent.

Here is the song, preformed live at the Greek Theater on campus at UC Berkeley.

Byrne said in a statement his fans might not respect him as much if he lets his songs be used in ads.

Sen. John McCain was sued for using Jackson Browne‘s song “Running on Empty” during his presidential campaign. The lawsuit was settled and included a pledge by the GOP not to use any musicians’ work without permission.

This is clearly a case of when will they learn. If you stole the music, the crime will be right out on front street for all to see.

May 5, 2010

Go ahead punk, MAKE MY DAY!

Another fool runs out on the field. This is the reason for tasers. I must run in a really liberal circle. Most of the people that are in a baseball league think that the punishment was too harsh. Stay off the damn field! You are not the entertainment. If you want to be the entertainment, then the fans get to call the shots. They were rooting for the guy to get tased. We should have listened to them.

Now that Tasering “seems” controversial, The next fool thinks that he can run out on the field.

PHILADELPHIA — A 34-year-old man who ran on the field at a Phillies game to chants of “Tase him!” has been charged with marijuana possession, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and other counts.

Police say Thomas Betz, of Warminster, Pa., hopped over the left-field fence at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and ran along the warning track in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday, one day after a teenager was tasered in the outfield.

The crowd booed and some chanted “Tase him!” Betz was taken off the field without incident.

I would have been chanting with them. Two words justify tasing and you don’t have an answer to it. Monica Seles.

Betz’s voicemail is full and he could not immediately be reached Wednesday.

In the wake of Monday’s encounter, police are considering whether officers should get involved in on-field chases. Officers didn’t run on the field Tuesday.

Remember Tom Gamboa? More reasons why tasering should be used. ESPN recap of the Royals/White Sox game of 2002. You can see the attack about 1:10 into the video

Here was a coach on the field, with his back turned and those drunk hillbillies below attacked him. Even more dangerous is that after the fight, they picked up a switchblade that one of them had dropped. Is it going to take someone to get seriously hurt? oh wait, Monica GOT STABBED!

Instances of on-field attacks by fans have been rare over the years, but athletes are increasingly worried for their safety as fans get more and more brazen. “You’re not safe anywhere,” Royals outfielder Carlos Beltran said. “We think we’re safe at the ballpark. What happened, that tells us no matter where we are, we’re not safe.” In 1995, Cubs reliever Randy Myers was on the mound when he was rushed by a fan, whom he knocked down with his forearm. In 1999, a fan attacked Houston right fielder Bill Spiers in Milwaukee, leaving him with a welt under his left eye, a bloody nose and whiplash.

William Ligue Jr., front, and his 15-year-old son rush onto the field to attack Royals first-base coach Tom Gamboa.

The most notorious attack came in April 1993 when tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by an obsessed fan during a match in Hamburg, Germany. Greg Bouris, a spokesman for the Major League Baseball Players Association, said overall, security at ballparks is excellent, considering the millions of fans who attend the games every year. “If there is a problem that is defined, we have to get together to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said. Security at ballparks tightened after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Fans are not allowed to bring in large bags, and smaller ones are searched. But like the screenings at airports, they’ve relaxed with time. And with no metal detectors at ballparks, there’s nothing to prevent someone from bringing in a weapon.”It doesn’t matter how much you beef up security,” Royals starter Paul Byrd said. “Anybody can get by at any minute.”

May 5, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – The D.C. Council has passed a measure to legalize medical marijuana, sending the bill to Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty.

Under the measure passed Tuesday, the nation’s capital would join 14 states that allow medical marijuana.

Patients with chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS or cancer could obtain marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. It would be given out at five to eight distribution centers.

Patients would be limited to two ounces of marijuana per month. The mayor could raise the cap to four ounces if he determines more is needed.

If Fenty signs the bill as expected, Congress would have 30 days to review before it becomes law.

In 1998, residents voted to legalize medical marijuana, but Congress blocked the initiative from taking effect for years.
(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Two ounces? Is that really going to be enough? What if your chronic illness is chronic? Wonder if that will be good enough to get a recommendation? The District is going to have to deal with a lot more than amounts. Will doctors participate in recommending patients?

For the children, he is not really a Dr. You don’t have to listen to him and smoke weed. That is only for adults.

April 16, 2010

Don't know what the Big D is for, but I can think of a few....

Some people will attempt to spin this as another law and order guy who gave his life for the city of LA died. I don’t play that. This was a person who helped increase the animosity of race relations in LA. The riot is your responsibility. Your cavalier attitude to the Rodney King beatings were the lynchpin of the riots.

LOS ANGELES – Daryl F. Gates, the polarizing former police chief whose 14-year tenure ended amid widespread criticism over his department’s response to the city’s deadly 1992 riots, died Friday after a short bout with cancer. He was 83.

Gates died at his Newport Beach home with his family at his side, according to a police statement.

Gates’ brother said in February the former chief had bladder cancer that had spread to a bone near his hip.

A tart-tongued career cop with a short fuse and a penchant for making controversial statements, Gates was a flashpoint for controversy long before the riots that broke out after four white police officers were acquitted of most charges in the beating of black motorist Rodney King.

“He was a man of deep convictions,” said former Police Chief William Bratton, who left the department last year. “He was very happy to stand up for them, whether you liked them or not. And he enjoyed being in the middle of the bull’s-eye. He thrived on it.”

So this dude was happy to stand in the eye of the storm and laugh at the things that happened with Rodney King and then take the time to blame the victim. If we know one thing, King did not ask to get beaten, nor did he do anything to deserve it.

Although often at odds with civil rights activists, the mayor and other political figures, Gates was well-liked by rank-and-file police officers. He was responsible for numerous police successes that came to be overlooked when he was forced into early retirement after the riots.

Gates was a “one-in-a-million human being,” current Police Chief Charlie Beck said. “He inspired others to succeed and, in doing so, changed the landscape of law enforcement around the world.”

I would agree with that assessment. He showed other municipalities that it was okay to bring down the hammer on human rights and civil rights of your citizens. If they were minorities, then take out your frustrations and play a game of baseball….remember, that is what the cops said…

He was credited with developing the policing plan that brought off the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics with not so much as a traffic jam. He also created the department’s popular Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., program for youth.

As a member of the police department’s command staff in 1972, he formed Los Angeles’ first Special Weapons and Tactics Team or SWAT. He also shut down one of the department’s intelligence units in 1983 after learning officers were spying on the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations.

“He was a man of courage and character who had a deep commitment to the rule of law, with a deep pride of the LAPD,” said Paul Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the police officers union. “Chief Gates was a cop’s cop.”

Some of the positive things are dwarfed by the racist things that he said and exhibited during his reign.

As early as 1982, Gates came under fire for saying more blacks died than whites during the use of carotid chokeholds because “the veins or arteries do not open up as fast as they do on normal people.”

Forensic experts said there was no such difference between races and a black community leader said the only reason blacks died more frequently was because the chokehold was used on them more often.

Gates later apologized.

But, he told his followers it’s okay because I had my fingers crossed.

See? I really didn't mean it. The negro is inferior to the white man...science proves!

In 1991, when a policewoman was killed in the line of duty, Gates labeled her accused assailant as “an El Salvadoran drunk who doesn’t belong here.” He once told a congressional committee that drug users should be shot.

Gates’ police career began to unravel with the 1991 beating of King, which was videotaped by a man in a nearby apartment after King was pulled over for speeding. Audiotapes of the officers making racist remarks about the incident were released and the videotape of the prolonged beating televised.

Gates criticized the officers’ actions but dismissed them as an aberration. Critics said they represented a pattern of abuse directed at minorities allowed to flourish under Gates’ watch.

Under pressure to resign, Gates announced his retirement in the months following the beating. He was just two months short of leaving when the officers were acquitted on April 29, 1992, a verdict that triggered one of the worst outbreaks of civil unrest in Los Angeles history.

Well said...the aftermath of the riots...

Four days of rioting throughout the sprawling city left 55 people dead, more than 2,000 injured and property damage totaling $1 billion. Entire blocks of the city were reduced to cinders by fires.

Gates came under intense criticism from the mayor, fire chief and others who said officers were slow to respond. Then-Mayor Tom Bradley said Gates had “brought Los Angeles to the brink of disaster just to satisfy his own ego.”

Gates shrugged off the criticism, calling his department’s response to the riots “beautiful” and blaming underlings for what errors he did acknowledge. An investigative panel later faulted him for failing to properly prepare the department for such trouble.

Gates’ place in history is still being debated.

Not with people who can see the truth of all colors. He was willing to watch it burn because it was in the area that he didn’t live. This was just shameful. It’s like Do the Right Thing. This was the thing that Pino couldn’t get and what Gates didn’t get either.

“He’s not a politician and the politicians got him,” City Councilman Dennis Zine, a former LAPD motorcycle cop during Gates’ tenure. “They blamed him for use of excessive force, then blamed him when he held back in the riots.”

Gates cemented the LAPD’s standing as the “most respected law enforcement in the United States” with a rigid adherence to classic law-and-order policing, Beck said.

But Bratton said though Gates cared deeply for policing and made significant contributions, he left a department that “had sort of lost its way, and for the next 10 years LA suffered as a result of that.”

After retiring, Gates worked briefly as a radio talk-show host and later as a consultant for various companies.

He also wrote the memoir “Chief: My Life in the LAPD.”

Years after his retirement, he was still responding to his critics.

“There were two beatings. There was one of Rodney King, and then there was the beating of the Los Angeles Police Department. And that one lasted a whole year,” he told The Associated Press in 2002.

He called the rioters “hoodlums” and said they were out to loot and steal with little concern for King. He called King “a no-good S.O.B. parolee who has never been able to find himself ever since.”

A month before he retired, Gates led his last Los Angeles Police Academy graduation ceremony. The crowd cheered him and a band played “Swinging Gates,” a song written in his honor.

Gates’ 43-year career with the LAPD began in 1949, not long after a two-year stint with the Navy during World War II.

A Glendale native and University of Southern California graduate, he was mentored by legendary Chief William Parker. He became chief in 1978.

Gates’ personal life, like his career, was sometimes tumultuous. His marriage ended in divorce and his son struggled with drug abuse, suffering an overdose during the 1992 riots.

In addition to his brother, a retired LAPD captain, Gates is survived by two children.